2 dead, 7 injured in overnight Virginia shooting

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) - At least two people were killed in an overnight shooting in Richmond, Virginia, that police say started with an argument.

The Richmond Police Department said the shooting took place in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday.

Police said an officer who initially responded found a woman shot dead at the scene.

“Additional officers arrived and found an adult male down and unresponsive,” police said. “He had also suffered apparent gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Police said four other adults were found with gunshot wounds and taken to a hospital. Three other people with injuries took themselves to a hospital.

“In total, nine adults were shot in this incident: a male and a female with fatal injuries, a male with injuries that are considered life threatening, and three males and three females with injuries that are not considered life threatening,” police said.

Police Chief Rick Edwards identified the two victims at a press conference Saturday afternoon as 23-year-old Genesis Tamar Jones and 42-year-old Dominic Antoine Jackson.

Genesis Jones was the younger sister of Zekiah Jones, who was in the area celebrating his brother’s 25th birthday.

“She was the youngest of four. She was the only girl. So, three big brothers. We came out here to celebrate my brother’s 25th birthday when everything transpired. We were just looking for a good time to celebrate my brother’s birthday,” Zekiah Jones said.

He was at Margarita’s Cantina when the shooting occurred.

“I heard around 10 to 15 shots go off. And I didn’t think anything of it because that’s Shockoe Bottom. So, but then come to find out later on that it was my little sister that was a victim as well as another person,” he said.

Genesis Jones is remembered fondly by her family.

“She was just a life of a party. She was one of the best people I know. I was proud to be her big brother. I was proud to have her as a little sister. She will be forever missed and forever loved, and we’re going to make sure that she’s going to be forever remembered because she was a once in a lifetime character,” Zekiah Jones said.

According to ongoing investigations, authorities towed six vehicles for evidence and confirmed the incident did not begin inside a bar or club.

“A lot of forensic material was recovered here. Over 50 cartridge casings were recovered, multiple firearms. We towed six cars. We’re hoping to get some more help from the community, though. So, people have been sending me videos, and we’re giving those to our investigators,” Edwards said.

Two guns were recovered, but police are still looking for more.

“We believe this was individuals engaged in a fight and, like I said, multiple people entered that fight with firearms in hand and shots rang out from multiple different individuals,” Edwards said.